Armrest for crutches



Nov. 14, 1944. M 2,362,642

ARM RE ST FOR CRUTCHES Filed July 10, 1943 INVENTORZ BY Q "'7: I I

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 14, 1944 UNITED STATES Ph l- N1" OFFl CE ABMBEST roa cnurcnes Thomas-Lamb, New York, N. Y.

Application July lo, 194:, Serial N 494,139

3 Claims. (01. lea-s2)- This invention relates to crutches and pertains more particularly to so-called "arm rests" which lit under the arm of the user of the crutch and carry a large part of the weight of the user.

Such arm rests as customarily constructed in the past have been extremely uncomfortable, and

at times painful, to the user. Consequently, in an eifort to reduce the discomfort, cushions of various types have been resorted to, sometimes in the form of padding wrapped around thearm rest and sometimes in the form of soft rubber guard pieces molded to fit over the arm rest. While such cushions have aflorded relief in some cases, it has been found that the extra thickness of the cushioning material in other cases produced increased pressure on muscles and nerve centers which counteracted the softening eifect of the cushion, with the result that either no relief was experienced, or even that the discomfort was increased.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an arm rest so shaped as to provide increased trated is adapted for use under the right shoulder, and it will be. understood that an arm rest adapted for use under the left shoulder is reverseLv symmetrical therewith.

As shown in the plan view, Figure 2, the upper ridge of the arm rest I as indicated by the dotdash line A which traces the high point of each transverse cross section therethrough, has a 1ongitudinal contour which is substantially of a flat: tened S-shape having'a concave portion 2 at the ward the arm of the user and aconcave portion satthelearendcurvingawayfromthearm andtowardthebodyottheuser. Asshownin elevation, Figure 1, the upper ridge of the arm rest has a side. contour whichiis substantially crescent-shaped, being concave substantially froui the front end to the rear end, with the crescent tilted slightly forwardly so that the rear end is sli htly higher than the front end.

Representative cross sections of the arm rest are shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The cross section on the'line 4-4, taken substantiall at the midpoint of the arm rest, is substantially ushaped with the central axis of the U substantially vertical. The cross section on the line {-3. taken near the midpoint of the front end of the arm rest, is also substantially U-shaped, but the axis oi. the U is elongated and tilted so that it 10 is inclined to the vertical in the direction of the body of the user. 7

Similarly, the cross section on the line 8-, taken substantially at the midpoint of the rear end of the arm rest, is also substantially U- shaped, but theaxis ofthe U isalsoelongated and tilted so that it is inclined to the vertical, the direction or inclination, however, being opposite to that of the front end, i. e. it is inclined away from the body of the user.

10 Thus, the side surface 4 lying below the 'oohcave portion 2 is concave longitudinally and convex in cross section, with the convex curvature tilted inwardly. i. e. toward the body, from the bottom to the top. Similarly, the side surface 25 I lying below the concave portion I is concave longitudinally and convex in cross section, with the convex curvature tilted outwardly, i. e. away from the body, from the bottom to the top. These concave-convex surfaces, so tilted, fit the nat- 30 uralcontourofthemusclesofthebodyandarm,

and provide a distribution of pressure which re lieves muchof the discomfort heretofore experienced by users of crutches. 7

The front and rear ends of the arm rest my 15 be rounded as shown to avoid sharp corners and to present a pleasing appearance.

Thearmrestasshownmaybeshapedfrom suitablematerial such as wood or may be molded from suitable. plastic materials. The arm rest maybesecln'edtoanordinarycrutchfralnein theusualmamerasbytheprovisionofmortise holes i to receive the usual tenon members on the crutchfralnel. 1

It willbeunderstoodthatthe inventionmaybe variously modified and embodied within the front end curving away from the body and toscope of'the subjoined claims.

Iclaimasmyinvention:

Lanarmrestforacrutchcomprisingan elongated member having an upper ridge of flattened S-shaped contour longitudinally with a concaveportionatthefrontendcurvingtoward' the arm and away from the bodyof theuser and aconcave portion at the rear end curving contours in cross section throughout the major portion of its lengt 2. An arm rest for a crutch comprising. an elongated member having an upper ridge of flattened S-shaped contour longitudinally with a concave portion at the front end curving toward the arm and away from the body of the user and a concave portion at the rear end curvingtoward the body and away from the arm of the user, said member having substantially U-shaped contours in cross section throughout the major portion of its length, the axes of the U-shaped contours at the front end of the arm restbelng tilted inwardly toward the body of the user, andthe axes of the U-shaped contours at the rear end of the arm rest being tilted outwardly away from the body of the user.

3. An arm rest for a crutch comprising an elongated member having an upper ridge of flattened S-shaped contour longitudinally with a concave portion at the front end curving toward the arm and away from the body of the user and a concave portion at the rear end curvin toward the body and away from the arm of the user, said member having substantially U-shaped contours in cross section throughout the major portion of its length, the axes of the U-shaped contours at the front end of the arm rest being elongated and tilted inwardly toward the body of the user, and the axes of the U-shaped contours at the rear end of the arm rest being elongated and tilted outwardly away from the body of the user. 1

THOMAS LAMB. 

